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NDP accused of stealing Liberal Marc Garneau’s toy space shuttles

Canada&rsquo;s first man in space, Liberal MP Marc Garneau, says the NDP stole his toy space shuttles. Is this the new frontier in the fight for the left?

Marc Garneau says a box of toy shuttles was accidentally sent to an NDP MP's office and never returned to him. Garneau was supposed to sign the toys before they were auctioned off for charity.

“What occurred here is not simply an error,” Garneau said in a formal complaint to the Commons on Monday. (CHRIS WATTIE / REUTERS)

By Susan DelacourtOttawa Bureau

Mon., April 30, 2012

OTTAWA — First, the New Democrats set out to take Liberal votes. Now they’ve taken their toys.

It’s not rocket science, perhaps, but it is a true toy story in Parliament: a box of miniature shuttles has gone missing. Is this the new frontier in the ongoing race for space on the opposition benches of the Commons?

Marc Garneau, the Liberal MP and former Canadian astronaut, is accusing the NDP of stealing a box of toy shuttles, which he was supposed to sign before they were auctioned off for charity.

Garneau said that in Ferburary, a package from a charity was accidentally sent to New Democrat MP Jonathan Tremblay, who occupies Garneau’s old office. There, the box was opened and the toys were distributed.

“What occurred here is not simply an error,” Garneau said in a formal complaint to the Commons on Monday.

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“They did not call and return the contents with an apology for opening the package clearly addressed to me,” Garneau said. “No, they instead removed the contents and gave them away. That is not only an invasion of my privacy, it is theft. When contacted by my office, they showed no remorse whatsoever for this offence.”

Garneau wants a formal investigation by Speaker Andrew Scheer and has not ruled out calling in the police.

NDP House leader Nathan Cullen says this is more a case of unidentified flying objects.

“I think there may be some discrepancy as to whether there was actually a name on the box or not,” Cullen said. “We will get to the bottom of this.”

Cullen did not make any jokes about why the toy shuttles might be hot property in an NDP caucus filled with young, rookie MPs. But he did hint that Garneau was maybe a bit over-the-top about his missing toys.

“I am a bit confused about the amount of time we have already taken away and the heated rhetoric over this notion of misplaced toys,” Cullen said.

Conservatives, who always enjoy a good dust-up on the divided left in Canadian politics, were clearly amused.

“I listened with interest to the point of privilege raised by the Liberal House leader with regard to the theft of his spaceships,” said Conservative House Leader Peter Van Loan. “I am tempted to say, Mr. Speaker, that you are being invited to boldly go where no Speaker before has gone.”

Relations between the two opposition parties have been tense since the NDP replaced the Liberals as official opposition in the election one year ago. Last summer, they squabbled over office space, with Liberals accusing the NDP of going out of their way to oust MPs from prime spots on the Hill.

But Monday’s toy tussle came on the very day that Cullen held a news conference to argue for more decorum in Parliament.

Cullen says his party is asking the Commons Speaker to use his powers to crack down on MPs behaving badly — taking away their right to ask questions, for instance.

“Canadians cannot yell and scream and heckle or harass or behave like a schoolyard bully at their place of work,” Cullen said. “So why, in the cornerstone of our democracy, do so many MPs continue to behave as though that’s normal?”

Cullen acknowledged that some of the NDP’s own MPs have crossed the line too and would be ready to rein in their antics in the chamber. NDP members, such as Charlie Angus and Pat Martin, have made references to the Conservatives as criminals or accused them of “shady” dealings.

“If we are causing the problem, you can punish us,” Cullen said.

The NDP has opened informal talks with the other parties to improve the tone of debate in Parliament, Cullen said.

“We are suggesting to the Speaker and other leaders in the House that MPs who continue to ignore the Speaker’s calls for decorum will have questions taken away from them or their parties,” Cullen said.

Last week, Prime Minister Stephen Harper twice accused the NDP — or its predecessor party, the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation — of failing to support the Second World War battle against Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.

“The leader of the NDP, in 1939, did not even want to support war against Hitler,” Harper said.

Other Conservatives, including Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird, also recited this attack line in the Commons last week.

Cullen did not mention the Hitler remarks in his call for more decorum on Monday, but he also lamented the “larger political culture” that has seemed to reward the politicians who can make the most fierce attacks on their rivals.

“There’s no silver bullet to this,” Cullen said. “This is a cultural shift that we’re suggesting.”

Cullen, who was among the front-runners in the NDP leadership contest earlier this year, said he was repeatedly warned that his high-road method of campaigning wouldn’t be effective. He said that his strong finish in the race — in third place — is proof that the tone can be raised in politics.

“Some of the press said I needed to conduct myself in a slightly more violent way to get attention and get any chance of winning,” Cullen said. “I’m not sure that that’s true.”

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